Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site
Encyclopedia
Berks County, Pennsylvania
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 373,638 people, 141,570 households, and 98,532 families residing in the county. The population density was 435 people per square mile . There were 150,222 housing units at an average density of 175 per square mile...
, near Elverson, Pennsylvania
Elverson, Pennsylvania
Elverson is a borough in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,225 at the 2010 census.Settled near the region's early iron mines, Elverson is close to Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site, an example of a 19th century "iron plantation".-History:Elverson's earliest...
, is an example of an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
19th century rural "iron plantation". The buildings include a blast furnace
Bloomery
A bloomery is a type of furnace once widely used for smelting iron from its oxides. The bloomery was the earliest form of smelter capable of smelting iron. A bloomery's product is a porous mass of iron and slag called a bloom. This mix of slag and iron in the bloom is termed sponge iron, which...
, the ironmaster's house and auxiliary structures including a blacksmith's shop, a company store and several worker's houses.
Hopewell Furnace was founded in 1771 by ironmaster
Ironmaster
An ironmaster is the manager – and usually owner – of a forge or blast furnace for the processing of iron. It is a term mainly associated with the period of the Industrial Revolution, especially in Great Britain....
Mark Bird for whom Birdsboro
Birdsboro, Pennsylvania
Birdsboro is a borough along the Schuylkill River in Berks County, Pennsylvania, eight miles southeast of Reading. In the past, Birdsboro was noted for its large foundries and machine shops, none of which remain in operation today.-History:...
was named. The site's most prosperous time was during the 1820-1840 period with a brief boom in production during the American Civil War. In the mid 19th century changes in iron making, including a shift from charcoal to anthracite rendered smaller furnaces like Hopewell obsolete. The site discontinued operations in 1883.
Today, Hopewell Furnace consists of 14 restored structures in the core historic area, 52 features on the List of Classified Structures, and a total of 848 mostly wooded acres. Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site
National Historical Park
National Historic Sites are protected areas of national historic significance in the United States. A National Historic Site usually contains a single historical feature directly associated with its subject...
is surrounded by French Creek State Park
French Creek State Park
French Creek State Park is a Pennsylvania state park in North Coventry and Warwick Townships in Chester County and Robeson and Union Townships in Berks County, Pennsylvania in the United States. It straddles northern Chester County and southern Berks County along French Creek. The park is the...
on three sides and the State Game Lands to the south which preserves the lands the furnace utilized for its natural resources.